i was hoping Instagram would add a toggle to get rid of this stuff!

On the mobile app you can tap the Instagram logo and there's an option to show only posts from your follows. It's not sticky, unfortunately.

Also if you're on android I recommend:

distractionfreeapps.com/

They make a bootleg version of the app with the ability to remove certain feeds, e.g. reels, discover, stories

It's sticky on the web though:

https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following

Too bad that would hurt their bottom line.